self-mutilation is a phenomenon that affects our adolescents, in your opinion is this normal in society?

Question

I am doing this for a class research paper at university. Please answer carefully.

Answer 1

Could you clarify your question? What kind of self-mutilation? Are we talking about tattoos, piercings and so forth or something else?
I mean, substance abuse and physical violence could also be called self-inflicted mutilations, in a way.

Answer 2

I think this all depends on what is classified as normal. Some will do it as a source of attention and others will do it as a source of cry for help or emotional relief. Growing up as a teenager is already stressful enough, but some cannot always deal what life throws at them. Cutting, pulling our hair or anything that can be self harming, this gives them a sense of control over their emotions which they dont seem to have in front of real people. It can also be a sort of punishment when they feel guilty for feeling how they feel. Take for example, a person who is constantly teased at school. He will probably think it's his fault if he's an outcast or the school's embarassment. And he too, will probably self-mutilate. Is this normal behaviour? On some levels, yes and no. It all comes down to who's point of view you're talking about. An open minded person will probably see it as normal knowing that it's because they are hurting and this is the only way they can recall as " a cry for help". Some fight think it's just being a freak. Either way, alot of things are not normal on this earth. I don't see how it's normal for one person to bombard another country or such things such as rape.

Answer 3

Well, it depends on where you draw the line.

If piercing your ears is considered self mutilation, then I suppose it is normal...just about every girl (and some guys) pierce thier ears.

Piercing noses could also be where the line is drawn, in that case, it would still be 'normal' because a lot of Indian women do it.

Tattoos perhaps? Possibly where the that fine line lies. It does affect adolescents in that they see it as being rebellious. And as for it being normal, well, about 5% of the worlds population has some form of tattoo, yet it still carries some sort of stigma...

I'm not sure if you were talking about kids cutting thier wrists...perhaps you should elaborate...

Answer 4

I used to self-mutilate between the ages of 12 and 13, two years ago. I wouldn't classify it as "normal", but I do think it has become something of a fad. I think SOME adolescents who feel somewhat neglected in their lives -- as I did -- will begin cutting as a means of garnering attention. Those who cut for the same reasons I did might find pleasure in the sympathy they received from others, and might feel "special" because others felt worried on their behalf.

Other adolescents might be more private cutters, and cut as a way of relieving pain. Those types of cutters feel ashamed of their cutting and don't want others to find out about it.

I don't think cutting is "normal", but it reflects a sort of extreme that has erupted in our society. I think that adolescents and teenagers are somewhat fascinated by cutters because they seem almost like gruesome heroes in their ability to inflict pain upon themselves. Adolescents nowadays are more rebellious then they have been in the past, and also adolescents nowadays have less to fight for. Teenagers don't have to fight against (extreme) racism, poverty, war, or sexism as much as they had to in the 50s and 60s. So they turn their natural hunger for rebellion upon themselves.

In short, yeah, I think self-harm has been glorified in the media (think emo/punk music, movies, and even contemporary teen novels) more than it ever has. Cutting isn't alien to adolescents anymore. Self-mutilation is pretty much normal now. Not good, not healthy, but pretty much normal.

Answer 5

It may be normal in the sense that maybe the majority is beginning to do it,however no it is not normal in the moral and sane sense. Self mutilation is a horrible act and adolescents should try to find another way to tap into feeling.
It will be normal if we as a society begin to accept it as normal.

Answer 6

More and more it is becoming an accepted thing to alter your body - piercings, tattoos, plastic surgery, etc. - these are forms of mutilation. People talk about how addictive it is to get piercings and tattoos and surgery - so why wouldn't self-mutilation be an addictive thing too??? I have heard that self-mutilation (cutting) is such a stress-relieving thing. Perhaps it is becoming a normal thing in reaction to our stressful society....

Answer 7

no, i don't feel that this is normal in society. the greeks and romans began experimenting with self mutilation, but they were pagans.

a good angle with this topic could be to show the similarities of self mutilation of today with those acts of the dark ages and compare them with instructions from the Bible. self mutilation was admonished through out the epistles.

Answer 8

of course it's normal people have been doing it for thousands of years. people may argue that those kids are depressed, but who says you're not actually just overly happy? who is to say that depression isn't the natural state of "healthy" humans? romeo and juliet killed themselves for each other, they were 13. like someone else said, the romans and greeks self-mutilated too. it's been going on for this long, there must be some "normal" components in it.

Answer 9

it doesn't just happen in adolescents. I knew of at least two adults that did this to escape emotional pain by causing physical pain. Usually razor blades.

But as a society norm? I don't think that many people are into pain. The opposite is pleasure addicts and I see tons more of those ME ME ME souls.

Answer 10

It is an abnormality that is being accepted as a norm. Any type of true self mutilation is a weakening of physical and mental well-being. Thus innapropriate.

Remember, we are talking mutilation and not embellishment.